A woman taking part in a TV experiment examining racism in dating has sparked outrage from viewers after claiming she was not attracted to a black man because his 'nose was flaring' and it made him look 'angry'.

In Channel 4's Is Love Racist? The Dating Game, presenter and sociologist Emma Dabiri set out to explore just how much race played a part when it comes to choosing a love match.

But one red-headed white female participant sparked a flurry of angry tweets when she explained she was not attracted to a black man because of his nose.

'His nose looks like it’s flaring too much,' before she added, 'You know when people are angry? He’s flaring and pouting.'

Shocked viewers took to social media with one saying: 'Is Love Racist has me fuming, racism is alive and well!'

One white redheaded female angered some viewers watching Is Love Racist? The Dating Game, when she explained why she wasn't attracted to a potential love match

During a swiping session with sociologist Emma Dabiri she shocked some viewers with her comments

She said that when looking at a potential love match, his nose was too 'flared' and that she linked the 'flaring and pouting' to being angry

Viewers quickly took to social media to express their anger at the participant's controversial comments

One person said they had to rewind her TV to check they had heard her correctly, while others were 'irritated' and 'cringed' at the comment.

One upset viewer also said: 'Apparently that black guy is pouting because he has full lips and his nostrils are flared?? Listen don't make me get mad.'

Social experiment

With the help of social scientist Dr Keon West, from Goldsmiths at University of London, Emma looked at racism in Britain through the world of modern dating and was surprised at what she found.

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'The things people were saying absolutely blew me away,' she exclaimed when asking passers-by on the street about the type of names they would date without visually seeing a person.

RACE AND DATING

Just 9.4 per cent of white people of 5,000 polled said they would date outside their race.

Mixed race and east Asian are more likely to date outside their race.

Thirty five per cent of white people say they would never date a black person. Only ten percent of black people said they would never date a white person.

People aged 18-24 are least likely to select a date outside their own race.

The majority, she said, refused to date a person named Mohammed and believed men named Oliver were white, blonde and blue-eyed.

Ten single people were recruited to take part in several experiments designed to test - without them knowing - how racial prejudices played a part in their dating decisions.

For some without realising what they were doing or saying, entire racial groups were discarded in one swipe.

One white male participant Jordan, 25, from Southampton, who had been single for over a year boldly stated while looking at a mixed race girl: 'I am just not into mixed race girls unfortunately.

'I have slept with mixed race girls but I just decided I am not into mixed race girls.'

A black male participant said it was easier for him to date within the same race because 'there’s no cultural clash and no misunderstandings'.

Racism in dating

The main crux of the programme, which was broadcast on Monday night, was to demonstrate that dating apps and online sites were encouraging single people to filter based on race, and that by emphasising visual appeal it was making race a more prominent factor.

One said they had to rewind the television to check what she had said while others fumed about how 'irritated' it had made them

Jordan, 25, from Southampton - who has been single for over a year - said that he just 'wasn't into mixed race girls'

Sociologist Emma Dabiri enlisted the ten singletons to help experiment how much racial prejudice played a part in dating

It was a cause for concern for Emma who found there was an 'unconscious bias' towards white people when it came to selecting a partner.

'We like to think that our preferences are something that are innate and really personal and individual to each of us.

'But if that is the case, why is there such an overwhelming preference towards whiteness?' she said.

Revealing experiments

An eye tracking experiment, where the participants entered a room of ethically diverse people, demonstrated that Asian people are mostly overlooked while most unconsciously showed a white preference.

The same results occurred when a group of models were asked to strip down to their underwear in a less scientific test to understand raw physical attraction - the overwhelming majority of people again preferred the white models.

The experiments helped support data from a poll of 5,000 people conducted by Dr Keon that suggested white people were also less likely to date outside their race.

She was concerned that in the end many of the participants - bar two, one of them being Jordan - were all 'unconsciously biased' towards white people

The surprising results

Emma explained to the participants what her purposes for the experiment were and they were all visibly stunned.

'"It’s just not my type" was a filter or shorthand for racial preference. It was eliminating entire groups of people,' she told them at the end of the three day session.

'We are not trying to say you are a racist, but it’s interesting to find that you are responding to people based on their race.'

The woman who had originally dismissed a potential love match because of his nose was appalled to learn that she was unconsciously biased.

'It made me feel really s****y about myself really. I am definitely going to change and hopefully for the better.'